Memorandum on Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway construction signed by Russia and China

MOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/. Representatives of Russia and China signed a memorandum on construction of Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway. The document was signed in the presence of the Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Chinese leader Xi Jinping after Russia-China talks on Friday. The total cost of the Moscow-Kazan high speed railroad project amounts to 1.068 trillion rubles ($20.7 bln). The Moscow-Kazan railroad may later be extended to China, connecting the two countries across Kazakhstan. The transport scheme could become part of the route of a new Silk Road project, which is aimed at tying China with the European and Middle Eastern markets. The Chinese Investors earlier expressed wish to invest 250 bln rubles ($4.9 bln) worth of loans and 52 bln rubles ($1.025 bln) as a contribution to SPV-company into construction of the Moscow-Kazan high speed railroad. The Moscow-Kazan high speed railway’s total length will stand at around 770 kilometers. Trains may run at a speed of up to 400 kilometers per hour, and the time en route between the two cities could be 3-3.5 hours against the current 14 hours. Read more